Lemonade stands raise funds to battle cancer

Audrey Shelley, 11, of East Brunswick ran her third annual Alex’s Lemonade Stand on Saturday and Sunday.
(Photo:
Photo courtesy of the Shelley family
)

Alexandra “Alex” Scott, diagnosed as an infant with pediatric cancer, passed away when she was 8. But by her final birthday in 2004, she and others had helped raise $1 million for cancer research.

Alex’s work continues each year with young people like Audrey Shelley, 11, of East Brunswick, and the Nesheiwat family of the Colonia section of Woodbridge, who have joined the nonprofit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to sell glasses of lemonade in order to raise money for a cure.

Alex’s first lemonade stand was in the front yard of her Pennsylvania home in 2000 when she was 4. She raised $2,000. National Lemonade Days are now held every year the same weekend in June.

Audrey held her third stand last Saturday and Sunday. She raised $538 over the weekend giving her a grand total of $2,249.

“I don’t know anyone specifically who has cancer but I wanted to do good and help sick kids,” said Audrey, a sixth-grader at Hammarskjold Middle School. “It makes me feel happy to help. I know all the money goes to kids who really need it. It could help save someone’s life.”

The family makes conscious actions about doing charitable acts together. Audrey, a former Girl Scout, has participated in clothing drives and was given the Lawrence Brook Elementary School Joan Kafka Memorial Award for volunteerism and helping last year. Her brother Christian, 15, lends a hand at the stand and has held whiffleball tournaments to raise money for Fragile X syndrome, their mother, Dar Shelley, said.

“Audrey loves her lemonade stand but she loves helping people even more,” Shelley said. “We are very proud of her and we are always amazed at the generosity of others.”

Five other stands were conducted in the area during National Lemonade Stand Days. The Nesheiwat family held its second annual Layla’s Lemonade Stand last Saturday. Layla, 4, raised $400 at her first stand.

“Last year, in an effort to teach our daughter about charity, community and helping others, my husband and I chose a fundraising project that Layla would understand,” said Katie Nesheiwat. “I was touched by Alex’s story and knew that Layla would enjoy helping other kids her age.”

In her mission, Alex enlisted thousands of other children to “cure cancer one cup at a time.” Together, they have raised more than $80 million in donations. ALSF has given more than 450 medical research grants, created a unique travel program to help support families and develop necessary resources.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children 15 and younger in the United States. Every day, approximately 250 kids around the world die from cancer, accounting for 91,250 losing their lives to the disease every year. Only 4 percent of federal funding goes to research for the various forms of childhood cancer.

Michelle Katora, whose stand has been a staple for a decade, will conduct hers Saturday and Sunday at 2 Biernacki Court, East Brunswick, as will classmate Rebekah Makin, who hosted her first stand in 2008, at 7 Hillsdale Road.

To donate to Audrey’s stand, go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1115525. To donate to Layla’s stand go stand, go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1113944. To donate to Michele’s stand, go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1114486. To donate online to Rebekah’s stand, go to http://www.alexslemonade.org/mypage/1114296.

For more information on ALSF or find another local lemonade stand, go to AlexsLemonade.org.

Staff Writer Cheryl Makin: 732-565-7256; cmakin@mycentraljersey.com

Upcoming local ALSF lemonade stands:

June 16 to 20 at KinderCare on 4 Royal Road in Flemington

June 17 at Dow Jones Family Center from 12 to 6 p.m. on 890 Ridge Road in the Monmouth Junction section of South Brunswick

June 21 with Gabriella and the Lemon Ladies from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 216 West Blancke Street in Linden

June 24 at Goddard’s from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on 206 Summerhill Road in East Brunswick